Automatic gate for railroad street-crossings



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G. E. DARROW. AUTOMATIC GATE FOR RAILROAD STREET GROSSINGS. No. 431,877. Patented July 8, 1890).

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C.- E. DARROW. AUTOMATIC GATE FOR RAILROAD STREET OROSSINGS. No. 431,877. Patented July 8, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. DARROTV, OF NETV HOLLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ARTHOR T. OSBORN'AND WVILLIAM EDWIN OSBORN, OF VVABASH,

INDIANA.

AUTOMATIC GATE FOR RAILROAD STREET-CROSSINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,877, dated July 8, 1890.

Application filed February 1, 1890. Serial No. 338,880. (No model.)

.To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

in g is afull, clear, and exactdescription of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in gates for railroad-crossings.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved, exceedingly cheap, simple, durable, and reliable pneumatic railroad-crossing gate automatic in every respect, and which will be automatically lowered by the train as it approaches, and will automatically open after the train has passed. These objects are accomplished by and my invention consists in certain novel features of construction, and in combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan of a portion of a rail road-track, showing a single gate and operating mechanism therefor. vation of the operating mechanism and track, the gate being shown in the dotted lines. Fig. 3 is an end view of the gate and'operating mechanism looking down the track. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of an operatingoylinder. Fig. 5 shows several details of the air-valve in the head of the cylinder. is a section of the cylinder directly moving the gate. Fig. 7 is a detail of the bed-plate. Fig. 8 is a plan showing a singletrack railroadand mechanism on both sides of the streetcrossing to operate the gate when the train approaches the crossing from either direction.

In the drawings, the reference-letter a indicates a railroad-track. At a place where a street crosses the track one or more swinging gates or masts b are located on each side of Fig. 2 is a side ele- Fig. 6.

the track, so as to swing down into a horizontal position across the street or to swing up into their normal vertical position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. Each mast-arm is provided with a pair of trunnions or journals 0 c a distance from its lower end, and these trunnions are mounted in the vertical supports (Z cl, one of the trunnions being extended through a post d and having a cross or doublecrank arm e, rigidly secured to its outer end, for the purpose hereinafter set forth. The lower end of each mast-arm is counterweighted, as shown at f, to hold the mast in its normal vertical position. These masts can be of any suitableor ordinary construction.

At a suitable distance down the track from the crossing a strong horizontal metal bedplate 9 is rigidly secured beside and parallel with the track. This bed-plate supports a tread or trip composed of two links or plates h h, hinged together at their adjoining raised upper ends, and at their lower ends pivoted to sliding blocks 11 z', sliding longitudinally on the upper face of the base-plate and provided with arms jj, extending down through longitudinal guide-slots 7t 7a in the base-plate.

- These arms j j of the two sliding blocks are connected by the retractive spring or springs Z, located beneath the base-plate. This spring constantly tends to hold the blocks *5 e' at the inner ends of said guide-grooves and hence the lower ends of the links at their limit of movement toward each other and the upper hinged ends of the linksat their limit of upward movement closely beside a rail of the track, and extending above the same, so that the tread of a wheel passing along the rail will engage said hinged end of the tread and depress the same. It should be observed that when the tread is depressed the blocke' on the side of the tread opposite to the direction from which the wheel is approaching is forced toward its cylinder. A pair of horizontal closed cylinders m m are rigidly secured in seats g at opposite ends of said bed-plate. These cylinders contain closely-fitting pistons n, which are connected by the rigid pistonrods 0 with the blocks "5, located on their respective sides of the tread. These pistons pass snugly through openings in the cylinderheads, so that there will be no leakage, and the parts are so arranged that when the tread is in its normal position, Fig. 3, the pistons will be at the front or inner ends of the cylinders, and the pistons are directly actuated by the tread through the medium of their respective blocks '11 and piston-rods.

Directly beneath the crank-arm e of each gate a vertical cylinder p is located, containing a snugly-fitting piston q, having its piston-rod h extending up and pivotally connected by links 7 with one end of said crank-v arm e, so that when said piston q is forced up the gate will be swungdown intoits closed horizontal position. An air-pipe 5 opens into the rear end of one of said main cylinders and extends therefrom to and opens into the lower end of said vertical auxiliary cylinder beneath the piston thereof. At the lower end of the auxiliary cylinder, beneath the piston thereof, an escape cook or valve 15 is located. The valve-stem of this cock is provided with arigid lateral arm u, pivotally connected with the opposite end of crank-arm eby a link 1:, so that when the gate is swung into its closed horizontal position the escape valve or cook will be closed; but as the gate resumes its normal upright position the valve will open and relieve the pressure in the cylinder and pipe, so that the parts can easily resume their normal positions. The rear head of the main cylinder behind the piston is provided with one or more air-ports w, and the opposite cylinder-head, in front of the piston, is provided with one or more air-induction apertures a, provided witha valve 7) to let the air flow into the cylinder, but prevent flowing from the same. The aperture 0. is provided with a beveled seat at its inner end to receive the valve proper, and the valve is provided with a stem extending into said aperture and shaped to allow the air to flow around the same.

From the foregoing description and drawings it will readily be understood that when a train approaches the street-crossing the wheels of the car will depress the tread or trip, and thereby, through the medium of a link of the tread and a sliding block and piston-rod, the piston of main cylinder m will be forced suddenly in, thereby compressing the air in the same, and forcing the air under considerable pressure through the connecting air-pipe 8 into the auxiliary chamber beneath the gate-controlling piston thereof and forcing said piston up to its limit of its movement in that direction, thereby immediately closing the stop-cock and swinging down the mastarm. The constantly-passing wheels of the train keep the tread depressed, and consequently the other parts in the positions just mentioned, until the train has passed, when the spring of the tread will cause the parts thereof to resume their normal positions. The parts resume their normal positions steadily and slowly and without a sudden jerk, as the air can only pass into the main cylinder in front of the piston thereof through the induction-port a. By this means the train is given time to pass the crossing-before the gate completely opens.

In the drawings but a single gate is shown; but in actual practice a double gate is usually located on each side of the track, and asingle main cylinder can be used to operate both auxiliary cylinders of the double gate by connecting them both with the main cylinder by a pipe extending beneath the street; also, in actual practice each gate is provided with two main cylinders, both connected with the auxiliary cylinder or cylinders and located on the track on opposite sides of tllGSlZIGGt-CIOSSlD g, so that a train approaching a crossing in one direction will operate one cylinder to close the gate, while a train approaching in the opposite direction on the same track will operate the other cylinder to actuate the gate, as fully shown in Fig. 8. In cities where there are many crossings each tread is arranged to be operated by trains approaching in both directions, and hence, as shown in Figs, 1 and 2, each bed is provided with two main. cylinders m m, connected with said tread, the cylinder at being connected-to be operated by the tread of a train approachingin one direction and actuating a gate down the track in that direction, while the opposite cylinder is operated by the tread when a train comes from the other direction and controls a separate gate located down the track in a direc tion opposite to the other gate. This arrangement of the cylinders and tread is illustrated, although but one gate is shown in the drawings.

Of course it is understood that in the constructions illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 cylinder m operates gate 1) when the train is approaching from the right, while the cylinder m is connected with the auxiliary cylinder of another gate (not here shown) to operate the same when a train approaches from the left, these two cylinders being both operated by the single tread shown.

Other constructions of gate proper might be used with this actuating-machine mechanism instead of the mast-gate here shown, and other changes might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the parts described, Without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention; hence I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction herein set forth.

What I claim is 1. The combination of a bed-plate secured beside the track, a depressible tread mounted on the same to extend normally up beside a rail, a stationary horizontal air-cylinder longitudinally secured to said bed, a piston in the same moving parallel to the track and having its rod secured to the sliding end of said tread, and the air-pipe from the cylinder in front of the piston, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the pair of opposite horizontal cylinders secured beside a track and having air-pipes extending therefrom, reciprocablecompressing-pistons in said cylinders having piston-rods extending toward each other, and the double spring-operating tread mounted on a base and projecting up beside a rail and having said rods secured to its opposite ends to operate the pistons, substantially as described.

3. A horizontal bed-plate longitudinally located beside a track, having a seat, and a horizontal cylinder rigidly secured in said seat, provided with an air-pipe extending therefrom and containing a compressing-piston having a piston-rod extending over the bed, in combination with a depressible spring-tread mounted to slide on said bed and pivoted to said rod to operate the piston, substantially as described.

4. The bed-plate secured beside the track and having longitudinal slots, in combination with a depressible tread consisting of a pair of hinged links projecting up beside the rail, sliding blocks on the bed, to opposite ends of which said links are pivoted, said two blocks having arms extending through said slots, and

a retractive spring secured to and drawing said blocks toward each other, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the swinging gatemast having one of its journals provided with a crank-arm, of the air-cylinder having a piston directly connected with said crank to swing the gate closed, and an escape-cock from the cylinder below the piston, having its valve connected to'be automatically closed when the gate is closed and opened when the gate is swung up, substantially as described.

6. A pneumatic railroad-gate consisting in the combination of a bed-plate beside a track, a horizontal air-compressing cylinder thereon parallel with the track, a depressible springtread mounted on said plate and extending up beside a rail and comprising a block slidable on said plate, and to which the piston-rod is directly secured, the gate located at the street-crossing, provided with an operating crank arm, the upright auxiliary cylinder having its piston -rod connected with said crank to operate the gate, and the pipe connecting the air-compressin g and auxiliary cylinders.

7. In a pneumatic railwaygate, the combination, with a pair of separate horizontal aircompressing cylinders located parallel with the track and facing each other, of a single tread located beside the track between said cylinders, the opposite ends of said tread being connected, respectively, with the pistons of said cylinders, and the pipes from said cylinders leading, respectively, to different gates, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the bed-plate located beside the track, ahorizontal air-compressing cylinder rigidly secured thereto parallel with the track, a depressible spring-tread mounted on said plate and projecting up beside arail, and having one of its sliding ends connected with the cylinder-piston, the swinging counterweighted mast-arm, the vertical auxiliary cylinder having its piston connected with said mast to swing the same down, and the pipe connecting the said two cylinders, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own invention I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. DARROV.

W'itnesses:

WARREN BIGLER, JOHN H. DICKEER. 

